


Not Fine

by Ladibard_Wordsmith28



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bathrooms, Confessions, Dean Thomas is ghost, F/M, Good Theodore Nott, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Love Confessions, Moving On, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Post-Break Up, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25716739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladibard_Wordsmith28/pseuds/Ladibard_Wordsmith28
Summary: Theodore Nott chances upon Ginny Weasley during his one of his patrols as a prefect. Instead of deducting points or mocking her, he decides to stay back and talk to her. He had always taken pleasure in watching her from the shadows of other prominent Slytherins, like Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. But it so seems he has finally met his match, literally.
Relationships: Theodore Nott/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Not Fine

Disclaimer: The regular disclaimer still stays in place, I owe nothing but the AU and OC. The rest belongs to JKR. My mind lives in the Harry Potter fanfiction world though my body is still thankfully anchored in the monotonous reality of existence. My themes, plotline, and storyline may, therefore, get indirectly influenced by many of the brilliant fanfiction writers on this site. And I humbly bow to such creative genius who give me much needed literary pleasures to see through the toils of mundane life. I generally come back the next day to check for those glaring mistakes.

Lastly, I would like to thank Hermione's Nook, Fairest of the Rare (18+), and Weasleys, Witches & writers admins to tempt me into thinking out of the box. This is my first attempt at writing a Theo/Ginny fic. Reviews would encourage this introvert writer to peep out of her literary closet.

* * *

**Not Fine**

The voice was definitely coming from the second-floor girl’s bathroom. Holding his wand in his hand, Theodore Nott cautiously looked around and eyed the closed door warily. His inner Slytherin begged him to run back to the teacher’s staff room and call for backup or send a message or a flash fire for other patrolling prefects...because this was moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Flash Fire was a charm Professor Flitwick had come up with, completely harmless and quite easy to conjure, but then one will have to be a Prefect to do that.

He also thought of just ignoring that sweet voice. He could finish patrolling his route and return to the 8th year dorm...where his home assignments and textbooks were waiting for him. No one apart from his present roommates, Malfoy and Zabini knew that he suffered from insomnia. Had always been one, living in a mansion with a nearly absent father and about a hundred elves, no one blamed him if he took shelter among books and hid behind friends. Theo Nott was gangly, he lacked brute power like Goyle and Crabbe. He lacked sophistication which was more the area excellence of Draco and Blaise. But there was one thing, which he was bloody brilliant at. Observing people. 

His inherent fear for Snape had stopped him from approaching the man to teach him the subtle magic of Legilimency and Occlumency. But just like Hermione Granger, he had read every single book stacked in the library of Hogwarts to educate him. 

Tapping his foot absentminded, he thought hard. ‘I have heard that song before..not a wizard one, I am sure...a muggle maybe...but not many muggle-borns have turned up this year...so perhaps a half-blood. It’s definitely a witch, but no one will dare to break the wards of this forbidden bathroom, unless of course one person!’

Pushing the door open, keeping his wand ready in hand, Theo walked in and looked right at Ginevra Weasley. The witch had her eyes shut and she was laying on her back, with her hands clasped together over her stomach. Her hair spread around her head like a halo. She was still unaware of his presence. Her legs were crossed at her ankles and she was tapping them to keep the tempo of the song.

_ “Though the waves heave _

_ Soft will ye sleep _

_ Ocean's a royal bed _

_ Rocked in the deep _

_ Flora will keep _

_ Watch by your weary head _

_ Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing _

_ Onward the sailors cry. _

_ Carry the lad that's born to be king _

_ Over the sea to Skye “ _

There was a sense of longing and lulling effect in her voice. He watched the witch pensively and felt sorry for her. Ginny Weasley had accepted the fact that Harry James Potter was not into her with a brave face. Theo couldn’t blame that man either. Had he been in his shoes, he too would have fled this world!

Theo found her quite interesting. ‘Youngest of the litter’ according to Pansy, but he knew she was not a runt. She was spiteful and protective. And her hexes were honestly painful. She rode the broom around the quidditch field as if she owned at the place. She was loyal and had a sense of fashion which she employed efficiently. She never went over the board like Lavender Brown nor did she downplay it like Granger. In his definition she was perfect.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to notice that the witch was staring back at him. The lack of the echoes of music through the open space shook him but it was her piercing words that dragged him back to reality,” Won’t you deduct points?”

Clearing his throat Theo greeted her instead,” Hello, how are you?”

The witch’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits but she asked nevertheless,” I am fine.”

Eyeing her from head to toe he tried,” You don’t look fine.”

The witch huffed and rolled her eyes,” Then stop looking.”

He turned his head around and surveyed the room with interest. He had read about it and had even thought of visiting it once or twice. Rumour had it that led to the basilisk’s lair. The monster Harry Potter killed with the Gryffindor sword and miraculously saved the same witch’s life who was now watching him curiously.

Tapping his wand at the side of his thigh, Theo walked inside and stopped right over the prone witch. Ginny glared at him but waited for him to say something. 

He surprised both of them, by sitting down right across her head, cross-legged on the dirty floor, propping his face on his hands. “Well, did you scare away Moaning Myrtle?”

Ginny rolled her eyes and asked, sounding thoroughly bored,” She went on a date with Dean.” when the man overhead arched his brow, she shrugged,” I might have played the cupid. Can’t deal with a sulking ghost following me around, now can I?”

“Thomas fancied you, but he wasn’t in love with you.”

“And you would know about that?”

“I watched.”

“I know you do a lot of watching and reading.”

“What is the name of that song you were singing a while ago?”

“It's a muggle song. Not something you will prefer to hear on a normal day,” she retorted.

“Humour me,” Theo coaxed amicably.

“It’s about a prince who is on the run. But those lines in between…” she stopped midway and narrowed her eyes.

“Go on, I promise I would spill out your secret to anyone.” he offered her his most genuine smile.

“I think of the ocean when I sing that part. I think of the ever-moving waves and I imagine I am in this boat all by myself,” she whispered tentatively.

“And you wish that the rocking boat and the night sky could help you fall asleep.”

Her eyes snapped at him, but he continued politely,” I have seen you watching the charmed ceiling of the Great Hall at dinner and I just linked the rest of it.”

“The rest of it?”

“You wear heavy glamour spells throughout the day. They are pretty good, but you should avoid sitting out in the sun. You...your face, kind of shimmers, under the sunlight. You don’t eat well and you are not very careful about sizing down your baggy uniform.” Theo stopped himself from saying anything further when he noticed her eyes had well up.

He didn’t dare to brush off those tears, so he waited for the witch to say something. 

The girl sat up and turned to sit cross-legged across him. Mirroring his posture she started speaking in a distant voice,” I don’t have many fond memories of this place. Though I don’t remember much. But the only thing that still bothers me. Are all Slytherins untrustworthy? Well apart from Snape and his obsessive love for Lily Potter...”

“I don’t think I am in a position to defend my house, given the circumstances,” Theo cleared his throat and replied.

“Just like I expected,” she snorted.

“But in order to humour you, I can say a few things in defence of my house if you agree to listen with an open mind.”

Waving her hand, Ginny accepted,” Go on.”

“Yes, we are cunning, we are ambitious and we are all about self-preservation. But there are other things that define us. We live in the dungeons, ‘not just to honour snakes’ as the Hufflepuffs would put it, but because Salazar opted for it. It’s cold and gloomy. But perfect in case you wish to brood and plan. For warmth, we can hurdle up together. We are free to do almost anything as long as we can keep it quiet. Snape would say,” Make sure that I don’t catch you.” We read a lot, as much as the Ravenclaws. We love food and drinks and can give the house-elves a run for their money if we ever get the opportunity of acting as tasters. Yes, we are classy. But we are not snobs and arrogant gits like we pretend to be.”

“Why do you pretend...oh of course,” she whispered and looked at his family ring.

Theo looked down and rubbed his thumb over the embossed crest and smiled ruefully,” It’s just a responsibility, I am the last Heir. It will end with me.”

“But you can always get married. You can get a job as well because your grades are quite good,” Ginny shrugged.

Theo was rather taken aback,” How do you know about my grades?”

“Hermione. She has this habit of keeping a record of the students who rank from one to ten every year. You wouldn’t believe it, but she says, she is just checking if anyone is falling behind all of a sudden. That’s how we knew about Malfoy.”

“Bloody Miss Know-it-all! Like we are her miserable house-elves.” He visibly shuddered.

Ginny smirked, and then giggled and then broke into peels of laughter.

Theo cracked a smile and chuckled,” Care to share the joke.”

“If you insist, of course, I just imagined your stuffed inside a dirty pillowcase, with a wonky knitted hat balanced over your head...smiling and screaming on top of your voice, ‘Theodore Nott is a free house-elf!” the girl laughed hard and the Slytherin watched her while trying hard not to laugh.

“I am sorry, I couldn’t help,” Ginny apologised when the man wasn’t really laughing at the joke.

“That was indeed funny, At least I managed to make you laugh at my expense in a roundabout well,” Theo bowed dramatically.

“Theodore Nott?” Ginny inched closer and cocked her head watching him intently.

“Yes, Ginevra Weasley?” He arched his brow and brushed his strands of chocolate black hair off his forehead, but they came back nevertheless.

“I know you have been watching me. But I want to know why do you watch? I am quite observant and I have been more so after my first year. I know you sit across my table at the library and only leave after I have left. I know you follow me around when you are not in class or in the dungeons. I know you root for me during Quidditch Matches,” she had crawled forward and grabbed his Slytherin green tie, she had pulled him towards her until their faces were millimetres away.

Theo found that distinctly alluring and smirked back at the witch,” A Giffin trying to seduce a snake? Haven’t seen that happen in recent years.”

He watched her face twist in a grimace and her hand simultaneously let go off his tie. He knew he wasn’t good at this, but he had to do something at least. Grabbing her face, he leaned forward and kissed her tentatively. The witch had shivered at the contact and had, in turn, moaned. She climbed onto his lap hastily. Merlin, how starved was she? He felt her fingers thread themselves into his hair as their lips fought for dominance. He too had grabbed her wild hair, had pulled at it, extractly yet another exquisite moan from her. 

Wrapping her waist, he pulled her further, until she was situated exactly where he wanted her to be. In between the hungry kisses, he confessed,” I don’t intentionally follow you, but my mind makes me do that. I don’t intentionally watch you, but you are bloody marvelous, I can’t just tear my eyes away from you. I am telling you, I don’t lust and pant for you, neither do I jerk off with your name on my lips behind my bed curtains.”

Ginny jerked herself off and urged,” But?”

Theo’s scalp was burning, but he invited that pain with open arms. Rubbing her back, squeezing her firmly, he declared,” But I just found out...”

Ginny shifted slightly, extremely aware of his hardness growing against her fluttering core,” What?”

“That I want this to continue on a comfortable bed and not a dirty bathroom floor, where we can be discovered, by Mrs. Norris, Filch, ghosts, or even teachers. Or worst- Peeves. And I remember neither of us has thought about placing locking and silencing charms. And well, of course, I am at a greater risk of getting punished since I am a Prefect and you are…” Ginny had halted him by putting her palm over his mouth.

She leaned in and tugged his ear, and whispered over his soft skin,” Stop blabbering. And just snog me.” 

After a while, Theo hugged her tightly and whispered,” No second thought, My Dear Witch, I want to take this slowly. I want to love you, learn how to love, grow in love with you. And I am not looking forward to just snogging and playing around. If I do that, I will be dishonoring you.”

“Nott, I...can we take it a day at a time?” Ginny rubbed her face at the crook of his neck and relished in the comfort she was experiencing after long months spent in grief and utter loneliness.

The Slytherin had brushed his lips over her head and whispered fondly,” Your wish, my command.”

When two had finally sneaked out of the bathroom, two ghosts appeared from behind the stalls and started bickering,” About time, don’t you think love,” Thomas nudged Myrtle who turned red in the face,” Shut up, I just wish they never left us hanging in there, alas!”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
